Eloquent. Tasteful. Compelling. Dan Jacobs’ trumpet and flugelhorn playing, as well as composition, makes PLAY SONG a phenomenally great jazz album. I absolutely love it, and know it’ll be one of my all-time favorites for years to come. I’ve been a fan of Dan’s work for a while now, and to my ear, this could very well be his best work yet. It features his Orange County, California band, which he formed in the 1980’s. The talented members of this group include pianist Gerald Hagen, bassist Ernie Nunez, and Peter Pfiefer on drums, plus, on selected tracks like the opener, the original, “Cloudcroft,” percussionist Robert Mulligan. If you dig Miles, Mangione, Botti, Hubbard and players of this caliber, then you will dig Dan Jacobs Quartet’s PLAY SONG… masterful musicianship! It proves that great chops + great phrasing + heart = superb jazz!
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I incorrectly indicated that "Play Song" and "No Hurry" were composed by Bassist Ben Mays.  They were written by Pianist Bill Mays.  Sorry for the error.
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I have known Dan Jacobs over 20 years.  Played in lots of bands together and consider him a terrific musician and a very good personal friend.  
“Play Song” is Dan’s third CD.  I can pick Dan out of a crowd of excellent trumpet players because he has his own style of playing and his own unique sound.  I was “blown away” when I played this CD.  
My first reaction after a few songs was, “Gee, that’s not Dan”, then quickly, “Well, I guess it is” as I recognized some of his playing trademarks.  
Sure enough,  It was Dan, “Just playing better than I’ve ever heard him play”, and, “Sounding better than I’ve ever heard him sound”. [I even called him on the spot, leaving a voice mail that said how much I loved his CD and accusing him of ‘stealing one of my Good horns’) because his horns never sounded this good.]  
I played the CD several times and agree with Tony Guerrero (also a long time friend of Dan’s who wrote the liner notes) that this is a beautiful album.  The song selections, their arrangements cover a broad spectrum of moods, sounds and colors.  The mix of tunes is perfect for Dan’s talents and certainly seem that they inspire his creative musical skills as opposed to just playing an “edgy hard-bop” Jazz standard that Dan can play perfectly even when he’s asleep.
From Bobby Shew’s Cloudcroft (you can almost “see the seasons” of New Mexico) to Bassist Ben Mays’ “Play Song” and “No Hurry” (they both “float” so wonderfully) and then Harold Danko’s terrific “Tidal Breeze” , and finally Jacob’s own “Alondra”.
Dan is a “Mood” Maker.  He loves playing music and is at home in the midst of musicians.  His quartet is top quality and I am sure that they were all responsible for the high level of performance.  Gerard Hagen, Ernie Nunez, Robert Mulligan and Peter Pfiefer rank with the best in their class of musicians.
Listened closely as Dan “weaves” his magic around each of the songs.  He is technically capable of weaving his “webs” around the fiber of a tune and creating an entirely new, better piece of music.  I believe this to be the major reason this CD is so wonderful.
It is beautiful!
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What a nice surprise by Dan Jacob.  A beautiful mix of excellent pieces and soloing.  Dan is masterful in his trumpet playing.  A true joy.
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